Knife scabbard



y 6, 1910 E. A. EASTMAN 3,514,022

KNIFE SCABBARD Filed Nov. 1, 1968 Q a HNVENTOR Edward ,4. fasfman United States Patent 3,514,022 KNIFE SCABBARD Edward A. Eastman, Independence, Mo., assignor to Locknife, Inc., Independence, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Nov. 1, 1968, Ser. No. 772,485 Int. Cl. F41b 13/04 U.S. Cl. 224-2 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A scabbard for a knife having a blade-receiving pocket defined by a frontpiece and a backpiece. The backpiece extends from the mouth of the pocket and is stepped to present a downwardly facing rest to bear against the edge of a belt. A flap extends across the rest and has one end secured with releasable fasteners to permit installation or removal of the scabbard without removal of the belt.

This invention relates to a knife scabbard. Commonly, hunting knives and the like are sheathed in a protective scabbard that may be worn on the belt. Such scabbards have a belt-receiving loop which retains the scabbard and its knife in their carrying positions.

The belt-receiving loop is conventionally closed and one end of the belt is threaded through the loop, requiring that the belt be opened when the scabbard is installed or removed from the belt. There are times, however, when it would be advantageous to install or remove the scabbard without opening the belt. If the belt is worn in trousers, it is desirable that the scabbard be constructed so that the scabbard and knife assembly may be installed or removed without necessity for removing the belt from the belt loops of the trousers.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a scabbard having a belt-receiving loop which is openable to permit removal or installation of the scabbard without requiring that the belt be opened or removed.

Another important object of the invention and which is achieved in the construction to carry out the foregoing object is to present scabbard construction wherein a bearing surface or rest is provided to support the scabbard on the upper edge of the belt.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a readily openable belt loop for a knife scabbard without detracting from the aesthetic appearance of the scabbard.

A further object of this invention is to provide a scabbard construction wherein wings or tabs are provided in accessible locations to permit convenient releasing of the belt loop fastening means.

These and other important objects of the invention will be further explained or will become apparent in the specification, claims and drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a scabbard constructed pursuant to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the scabbard in its position with the belt loop open;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of a modified form of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 55 of FIG. 1, the knife having been omitted for clarity.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3 and 5, scabbard 10 includes a frontpiece 12 and a backpiece 14 forming a pocket 16 having a mouth 17 for receiving the blade 18 of an instrument in the nature of a knife 20. Backpiece 14 includes a first section 22 which is secured by stitching, rivets or the like to the frontpiece 12, a second section 24 integral with section 22 and extending upwardly from the mouth 17, and a third section 28 which overlaps the section 24 so that the lowermost edge of section 28 presents a downwardly facing rest 30'.

A fiap 32 has its lowermost end 34 joined to section 22 at month 17. Flap 32 extends upwardly across rest 30, generally parallel to section 24. End 34 is tapered to blend gradually between frontpiece 12 and backpiece 14 to form a part of the mouth 17.

Releasable fastening means or snaps 36 secure the uppermost end of flap 32 to backpiece 14. Each snap 36 includes a male part 40 mounted on the backpiece 14, and a female part 42 mounted on the flap 32. Flap 32 includes a pair of integral wings 43 that extend outwardly beyond the outermost edges of backpiece 14 and which are adapted to be grasped to facilitate release of the snaps 36. A decorative button 44 conceals the rivet (not shown) that retains part 42 on flap 32.

The rest 30 is disposed to bear the weight of the scabbard and knife against a supporting member such as a belt 48 received through the opening defined by section 24, flap 32 and the rest 30. Section 28 is movable toward and away from a position where its quick detachable fastening means 50 cooperates with a button 52 on the handle knob 54 of knife 20 to secure knife 20 from accidental displacement from scabbard 10*.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, scabbard includes a frontpiece 112 and a backpiece 114 with a section 128 presenting a rest 130 to bear against the supporting member (not shown).

A flap 132 has its uppermost end secured to the backpiece 114 by rivets 135 and has snaps 136 at its lowermost end. Flap 132 also includes a pair of wings 143 similar to wings 43 and extending outwardly from backpiece 114 so that they may be grasped to easily disengage the snaps 136. Section 128 has a snap for cooperating with a knife button to secure the knife to the scabbard.

In use, snaps 50 and 36 are first released as shown in FIG. 3. The scabbard 10 may then be quickly and easily installed around a belt whereupon the snaps 36 and 50 are then re-engaged as shown in FIG. 2. The rest 30 is in position to bear downwardly on the belt. Similarly, scabbard 10 may be readily removed from belt 48 without necessity for loosening or removal of the belt. Since the rest 30 always bears directly upon the belt 48 which is tightly sandwiched between section 24 and flap 32, scabbard 10 will be maintained in vertical orientation with little or no tendency for twisting. The rivets fastening the parts 42 to the flaps 32 are concealed by the buttons 44 so that the scabbard 10 presents a pleasing aesthetic appearance.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the snap 150 need not be disengaged from the knife carried in the scabbard in order to install the scabbard on the belt of the wearer. One need only disengage snap 136, slip the flap 132 behind his belt and then re-engage the snap.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A scabbard for an instrument having a blade comprising:

an elongated backpiece;

an elongated frontpiece secured to said backpiece and defining a pocket between the frontpiece and the backpiece for receiving said blade,

said backpiece being stepped to present a downwardly facing rest and defining an opening beneath the rest, the opening being adapted to receive a supporting member for the scabbard with the rest bearing downwardly against the member;

a flap having a pair of opposed ends and secured at one end thereof to said backpiece, i said flap being movable to a disposition where the flap extends across the rest in closing relationship to said.

opening, whereby the member is held beneath the rest when the member is received by said opening; and

releasable fastening means on the opposite end of said flap for releasably maintaining said flap in said disposition on said backpiece whereby, upon release of the fastening means, the scabbard may be removed from the member.

2. A scabbard as claimed in claim 1, said flap including a pair of opposed Wings at its opposite end, whereby the flap may be easily grasped to release said fastening means.

3. A scabbard as claimed in claim 1,

said pocket having a month,

said backpiece including a first section secured to said frontpiece to form said pocket, a second section extending from said pocket adjacent the mouth thereof, and a third section secured to said second section in overlapping relationship thereto, thereby presenting said rest with said second section.

4. A scabbard as claimed in claim 3, said third section having quick detachable fastening means thereon and being movable toward and away from a position where the last mentioned fastening means is adapted to engage a corresponding retaining means on said instrument.

5. A scabbard as claimed in claim 3,

said third section of the backpiece overlapping the front of said second section thereof in spaced relationship to said mouth,

said flap being joined at its one end to said first section at said mouth, and extending in general parallelism with said second section in front of the latter when the flap is in said disposition thereof,

said fastening means having cooperable parts on said opposite end of the flap and on said third section.

6. A scabbard as claimed in claim 3,

said third section of the backpiece overlapping the back of said second section thereof in spaced relationship to said mouth,

said flap being joined at its one end to said third section, and extending in general parallelism with said second section in back of the latter when the flap is in said disposition thereof,

said fastening means having cooperable parts on said opposite end of the flap and on said backpiece proximal to said mouth.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1938 Brownell. 3/1957 McQueary. 

